The Education Stories To Watch in 2013

December 27, 2012 | 12:42 PM

The national switch to Common Core standards will continue to be a big story in Florida in 2013.

We’re wrapping up 2012, which means it’s time to peer into the crystal ball for what’s coming up in 2013.

Florida’s new education commissioner is likely to be the big story, but Common Core is on the horizon as well.

Here’s what we’ll be watching for in the next year.

Tony Bennett – Florida’s education commissioner might be the nation’s most high-profile state post. The state is known as the laboratory for a suite of policies many states have adopted the last few years.

The new standards set guideposts for students as they progress from grade to grade. By the time students graduate high school, the expectation is that every graduate will be prepared for college or a job.

But Common Core will mean a sweeping overhaul for the way teachers approach their lessons and how students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge.

For example, students learning to divide fractions learn to multiply by the reciprocal – that’s the rule that gets you the right solution. But it isn’t enough to be able to be able to show your work, you have to be able to explain it as well.

The state’s largest teacher’s union has challenged the law in court. The Florida Education Association won an early victory when a judge threw out a Department of Education rule regarding the evaluations.

Last year Scott asked lawmakers to add $1 billion to education funding, and they complied. Lately Scott has addressed complaints about the FCAT.

And Scott is asking students receiving tax credit scholarships at private schools to have to abide by the same requirements as public school students, including taking state-required standardized tests.

Guns on campus – The Newtown, Connecticut shooting means this issue will be on the front-burner in 2013. One Florida lawmakers has already proposed TKTKT

Teachers have said they don’t like the idea of carrying guns on campus. Will parents put pressure on districts to step up security?

Parent Trigger – The most contentious education bill of the last legislative session is likely to be back this year.

It’s the last option which has opponents concerned. Converting to a charter school would turn public facilities over to a privately run charter school board. Often those boards hire for-profit companies to manage the schools.

The bill died on a tie vote in the state Senate on the last day of the legislative session.

Budgets – After some of the nation’s steepest budget cuts, Florida lawmakers added $1 billion back to school budgets last year. This year the budget forecast is a little better.

But there’s a long way to go before Florida schools see the same funding they got before the Great Recession. And Florida lawmakers still have not said what their long-term solution is to declining construction and maintenance money for Florida schools, colleges and universities.